That's a wrap!

Over 700 people from diverse geographies, sectors and technical areas came together from 23-27 October 2017 in Washington, DC, to explore the use and applications of Earth observations for the benefit of humankind. Thank you to all the participants, speakers, exhibitors, sponsors and organisers who made GEO Week 2017 a success!

Get ready for GEO Week 2018

We look forward to welcoming you to Kyoto, Japan next year for GEO Week 2018!

GEO Week at a glance

08:00-09:00

09:00-10:30

11:00-12:30

14:00-15:30

16:00-17:30

17:30-22:00

08:00-09:00

09:00-10:30

11:00-12:30

14:00-15:30

16:00-17:30

17:30-22:00

23 Oct

Side Events / Caucus meetings

24 Oct

41st Executive Committee meeting

Side Events

Exhibition

Reception

25 Oct

GEO-XIV Plenary Session

Exhibition

Caucus Mtgs / Reception

26 Oct

GEO-XIV Plenary Session

Exhibition

27 Oct

42nd Executive Committee meeting

Agenda

Click on a side event to open/close detailed information.* = closed event, on invitation only.

Side event registration is closed

Monday 23 October 2017

Demonstrations

08:00-09:30

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Introduction and Demonstration

Continental A

08:00-09:30

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Introduction and Demonstration

Continental A

08:00-09:30

Continental A

08:00-09:30 Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Introduction and Demonstration

Outcomes:

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is leading the Open Data Cube initiative to utilize an open source common computing framework for managing global satellite data. Four dedicated side meeting demonstrations were held at the GEO Plenary meeting on October 23-24. Over 100 international participants attended these sessions which addressed Data Cube development plans and progress, reviewed the progress of its implementation in Australia, Colombia, Switzerland and Uganda and conducted a hands-on training session. The CEOS and GEO communities are energized by the new initiative and believe it has a great potential to expand the use of global satellite data with a particular emphasis on non-traditional users in developing countries. In addition, the Data Cube takes advantage of powerful cloud computing platforms and enhances application products through open source community contributions. With a goal to reach operational Data Cubes in 20 countries by 2022, the Open Data Cube initiative will have significant global impact and provide critical information to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for societal benefit.

Group Photo of the Open Data Cube presenters at the GEO Plenary (Left to Right)

This session will demonstrate real world examples of successful application of the ArcGIS platform to translate open data to actionable information to support decision making and the goals of Group on Earth Observations This platform is employed around the world to support various societal benefit areas and the SDGs.

This session will demonstrate real world examples of successful application of the ArcGIS platform to translate open data to actionable information to support decision making and the goals of Group on Earth Observations This platform is employed around the world to support various societal benefit areas and the SDGs

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is leading the Open Data Cube initiative to utilize an open source common computing framework for managing global satellite data. Four dedicated side meeting demonstrations were held at the GEO Plenary meeting on October 23-24. Over 100 international participants attended these sessions which addressed Data Cube development plans and progress, reviewed the progress of its implementation in Australia, Colombia, Switzerland and Uganda and conducted a hands-on training session. The CEOS and GEO communities are energized by the new initiative and believe it has a great potential to expand the use of global satellite data with a particular emphasis on non-traditional users in developing countries. In addition, the Data Cube takes advantage of powerful cloud computing platforms and enhances application products through open source community contributions. With a goal to reach operational Data Cubes in 20 countries by 2022, the Open Data Cube initiative will have significant global impact and provide critical information to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for societal benefit.

Group Photo of the Open Data Cube presenters at the GEO Plenary (Left to Right)

Side Events

The role of Research and Innovation in the EuroGEOSS regional initiative

Continental C

08:00-10:30

The role of Research and Innovation in the EuroGEOSS regional initiative

Continental C

08:00-10:30

Continental C

08:00-10:30 The role of Research and Innovation in the EuroGEOSS regional initiative

Europe needs a coordinated and comprehensive EO data exploitation initiative within the larger GEOSS landscape. To achieve that, the main action should be to increasing the coordination and pacification among the big European data producers in Europe and to ensure operalization of product delivery. But this cannot be only achieved by good will in the different actors but also by eliminating the current technical barriers that hampers this collaboration. This session will review the recent research and innovation achievements that have contributed to GEOSS (e.g. European Project results) and will discuss about some of the remaining issues that require further effort. Concrete bullet points to discuss are how to engage national in-situ Earth observation in an European Network of EO, the progress towards an integrated view for EO research infrastructures, the contribution of citizen science initiatives and the implementation of the standards contributing to the developing of the data management principles across Europe. The outcomes of this discussion will be input for the European GEO caucus.

This session will be inspired by three videos of 10 minutes. After each video, there will be a 20 minutes discussion on the Role of the European research in the European contribution to GEOSS.

Block 1: Combined use of Crossdisciplinary datasets to showcase the power of GEOSS

Video description: Alan Belward, an earth observation scientist at the Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, explains, this is because water is a resource that changes and human activity affects this change, with the construction of dams, but also with climate change. Thanks to the Copernicus Programme, the European Commission, in collaboration with Google, has mapped surface water since 1984, creating a database of open source data, with the aim of providing the necessary tools for making policy choices that are not only based on facts. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community.

Block 2: Knowledge extraction from GEOSS data to showcase the information made available for policy

Video description: Documentary which takes viewers on a rollercoaster ride through the wonderful world of *statistics* to explore the remarkable power they have to change our understanding of the world, presented by superstar boffin Professor Hans Rosling, whose eye-opening, mind-expanding and funny online lectures have made him an international internet legend. Go directly to minute 28 to see the 200 years of history of 200 countries in 10 minutes.

Block 3: Status and improve of open data and data management policies and principles in the European data providers infrastructures

Video description: A data management horror story by Karen Hanson, Alisa Surkis and Karen Yacobucci. This is what shouldn't happen when a researcher makes a data sharing request! Topics include storage, documentation, and file formats.

Members of the Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations (IGWCO) Community of Practice.

Representatives from regional GEO Initiatives–including AfriGEOSS, AmeriGEOSS and Asia-Oceania GEOSS–who have familiarity or interest in water issues.

Participants from organizations not currently involved with GEO who have an interest in collaborating with us.

Managers of observational programmes that include the in-situ and satellite measurements of hydrological variables.

Topics to be Addressed (preliminary, subject to change)

Coordination opportunities among GEO water initiatives and activities and GEOGLOWS

Clarification of the Essential Water Variables (EWV) and their role in water management

Integration of data from multiple sources into reliable information products

Identifying actions needed to advance the GEOSS Water Strategy

Contributions to monitoring water-related SDGs

Support to other related initiatives, such as the Sustainable Water Future Programme and how those initiatives can support GEO’s objectives

Review of the needs for and potential contributions of IGWCO CoP during the next year or two, including a discussion on urban water systems.

Structure of the Event

The workshop will be divided into two sessions: a 5-hour session on October 23, followed by a 2-hour session on October 24.

The first day will start with a series of presentations from each of the key participating organizations. There will be opportunity for questions at the end of each presentation.

The second half of the first day will then break into groups using a World Café format to discuss specific topics chosen by the group.

On the second day of the workshop, the organizers will present a set of recommendations based on the results of the World Café discussions. All participants will have the opportunity to share their views and shape the recommendations that will form the results of the workshop.

The side event of China GEOSS deliverables will introduce the achievements from China on the Earth Observations. The audiences are engaged to discuss the following three items:

China's Plan for Implementing GEOSS 2016-2025

This subject will show the participation of China in the GEO Strategic Plan 2016- 2025: Implementing GEOSS. China has combined the national GEOSS action plan with the eight social benefit areas of GEO, especially the China's plan will contribute to the three policy priorities of GEO.

The background, achievements and significance of the global ecosystems and environment observation analysis research cooperation will be introduced. Four academic reports will be presented:

Introduction of GEOARC

"The Belt and Road Initiative" Ecological and Environmental Conditions

The 30m Global Land Cover Dataset

The Impacts of Global Natural Disasters on Vegetation

National GEOSS Data Sharing Platform of China

The compatible mechanism, infrastructure construction, data sharing policy of the national GEOSS data sharing platform of China will be introduced. Furthermore, the EO data from China will be shared with the world.

The Global Wildfire Information System (GWIS) is a joint initiative of GEO and the European Commission Copernicus Program, developed in collaboration with the GOFC/GOLD Fire Team. GWIS aims at providing a unique platform for international cooperation in the area of wildfires, bringing together existing information sources at regional and national level in order to have a comprehensive view and evaluation of fire regimes and fire effects at global level. GWIS partners from organizations such as Univ. of Maryland, USGS, NASA and NOAA will present their activities as contributions to GWIS. Additionally, new projects and initiatives funded under the NASA GEO Roses call will be presented and discussed. The side event welcomes participants from other sister initiatives in GEO interested in the areas of disasters, sustainable development, data sharing, inter-operability, etc. to discuss collaborations for future developments. Short presentations from participants are welcome if time allows for it.

Implementation of GEOSS Data Sharing and Data Management Principles is vital to GEO’s success in the new decade. Without open and well-managed EO data, GEO applications for decision making in various areas will not be transparent, scalable and accountable. Special sessions will be organized to look at data sharing and data management at different levels: GEOSS Common Infrastructure (GCI), GEO Initiatives and Flagships, as well as GEO Members and Participating Organizations. Best practices at all three levels are invited to present at the event. The discuss in this event will focus on scaling up. A call for examples will be publicized at least two months before the event for preparation.

There is increased interest and need to understand the benefits and impacts of Earth observation on society There was a very successful side event at this GEO plenary called “Demonstrating the Value of Earth Observations: Methods, Practical Applications and Solutions” organized by USGS, NOAA, ESA and EARSC. The side event included a mix of EO specialists and economists. It showed the increasing potential for engaging effectively in this area, particularly by speaking the language of Ministers of Finance and others who typically control government budgets. IEEE encourages a GEO initiative that would expand upon the framework outlined by the existing GEOValue community of practice by engaging a broad range of GEO members, Participating Organizations and Observers to increase understanding of societal impacts of GEO initiatives while also addressing issues that are being brought forward by national agencies. IEEE supports such an effort and encourages broad participation by Members, Participating Organizations and Observers in these activities. We would appreciate support of the GEO Secretariat to coordinate this international opportunity.

Description:

The use of Earth Observations (EOs) in decision making results in economic impacts to society that may be difficult to quantify. The goal of this workshop is to identify methods and solutions needed to develop robust and reliable estimates of the value of EOs in decision making to assess and prioritize investments in EO research, development, and operations.

A variety of current methods and approaches for assessing the value of EOs will be considered including broad benefits assessments conducted by surveys, case studies for specific applications, as well as studies that address cost-saving or innovation applications. A set of five example applications will be examined through derivation of value-chains, focusing on a broad range of risk mitigation issues. Workshop participants will address the effectiveness of value chains in understanding the benefits of EOs in decision making. Participants will also identify the types of information for representative applications needed to assess the economic impacts of EOs in decision making.

Workshop results will be documented in a summary strategic document describing the methods and use of value chains to quantify the societal benefits of EOs and to identify types of information that can be routinely collected to support enhanced and recurrent impact assessments. This will be a contribution to support the increasing interests of GEO in understanding the impacts of Earth observations and information.

Earth Observation to enhance national capacities for monitoring land degradation and support the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality

Hemisphere A

09:30-11:30

Earth Observation to enhance national capacities for monitoring land degradation and support the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality

Hemisphere A

09:30-11:30

Hemisphere A

09:30-11:30 Earth Observation to enhance national capacities for monitoring land degradation and support the achievement of Land Degradation Neutrality

Land degradation has been highlighted as a key development challenge by numerous international bodies, and SDG target 15.3 on Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN) has been identified as an accelerator for achieving numerous Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This session will highlight recent developments on indicators and the monitoring of land degradation using Earth observations by a broad range of organizations, including UN agencies, Conservation International (CI), Lund University, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission.

The purpose of this side event is to update the GEO/CEOS representatives on 1) the indicator work being undertaken by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) as the custodian agency for SDG indicator 15.3.1 “Proportion of land that is degraded over total land area”, 2) a decision taken by the UNCCD Conference of the Parties in September 2017 regarding partnerships and collaboration on indicators, and 3) the potential role of GEO and CEOS in helping to establish standards, improve data access and build capacities at the national level for monitoring and reporting.

Organizers: United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Conservation International;

The TanSat is used for detecting the global CO2 distribution, and monitoring the CO2 variation on seasonal time scales. The TanSat mission is funded by China government in order to deal with global climate change. The satellite has been launched on 22 December 2016 and finished the in-orbit-test until now.

In the side event, the satellite status, ground segment capabilities, calibration, retrieval algorithm, and application prospect will be introduced.

Fengyun-4 Meteorological Satellite

The progress of the new geostationary meteorological satellite FengYun-4, which has been launched on 11 December 2016, will be shown in this side event, including the ground segment capabilities, preprocessing (INR and Cal/Val), data processing (L2 and QC) and data service.

The European Environmental Research Infrastructure Community as sustainable in-situ contribution to EuroGEOSS

Continental C

11:00-12:30

The European Environmental Research Infrastructure Community as sustainable in-situ contribution to EuroGEOSS

Continental C

11:00-12:30

Continental C

11:00-12:30 The European Environmental Research Infrastructure Community as sustainable in-situ contribution to EuroGEOSS

The European Environmental Research Infrastructure (ENVRI) community wishes to send a strong signal to the Earth Observation community, that it is committed to contributing to the challenges laid down in the most recent GEO workplan. There are already established considerable contributions from ENVRI to many GEO Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities, and it is important to acknowledge and build on that.

The aim is to create a clear awareness on the matching between the European “supply” of data, information and knowledge to the in situ component of GEOSS through ENVRI, and GEO’s “demand” of knowledge for its Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities. The ENVRI community wishes to acknowledge and underline the importance for Europe to play its role in supplying the necessary data and information. This will allow for GEO to satisfy the demand for these products, and to achieve its mission as stated in the Mexico City Ministerial Summit Declaration during the GEO XII Plenary in 2015 and in the most recent work programme.

AOGEOSS aims to establish the effective cooperation framework at regional level with broader participation, utilizing the resources and ability of countries in Asia-Oceania region to confront major challenges in the environment and society, such as natural disaster, environmental changes and sustainable development.

The side event will report the progress on the AOGEOSS Initiative and seek the pathway to promote awareness, active participation and user engagement through discussion. The cooperation pattern between different GEO activities will be particular concern in the implementation plan of AOGEOSS. As the outcomes of this side event, AOGEOSS actions in coming years will be input for the Asia-Oceania caucus.

In 2017, NASA issued a grant solicitation for proposals focused on nine specific elements in the GEO Work Programme. This event will announce the selections from the solicitation and provide an introduction to each of the projects.The solicitation had a special interest to involve people from outside the U.S. Federal government as a way to expand the organizations contributing to and supporting progress on the GEO Work Programme. The elements span Flagships, Initiatives, and Community Activities. The specific elements are: AmeriGEOSS, GEO BON, EO4EA, GEOVENER, GEOGLOWS, Human Planet, Global Flood Risk Monitoring, EO for Health, and GWIS. In some cases, the projects also address efforts for the Sustainable Development Goals and Sendia Framework.

Side event open to all attendees, for purposes of discussing air quality and its health impacts. Topics include monitoring, small sensors, remote sensing, health effects research, and public information systems

One Health is an approach for developing and sustaining multi-disciplinary collaborations and partnerships to address complex health issues at the environment, human and animal interface for the early identification, prevention and mitigation of health risks. One Health is critical to effectively addressing complex global challenges holistically, including those in the GEO Societal Benefit Areas.

As in the GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) framework, One Health emphasizes the interactions of systems – biological, social, and ecosystemic – and the benefits of bridging traditional silos. International One Health networks can facilitate data and information-sharing and inspire effective solutions to problems that transcend national boundaries. This side event would define and motivate the use of the One Health approach within a GEO Plenary context, to aid decision making by the GEO Member governments and GEO Participating Organizations. It would also contribute to representing the Earth Observation for Health (EO4HEALTH) GEO community activity at the GEO Plenary Meeting.

The Arctic will be used as an illustrative example throughout the session. The Arctic is a region of the world where One Health has long been recognized in local communities and where international One Health networks are becoming increasingly active. The progression of the program will be:

Introduce participants to One Health approaches and the use of observations for better public health outcomes – highlighting the three-step cycle of:

communication (including communication with the general public, as well as feedback to the observers – remote or local – themselves)

Facilitated discussion among participants on how this three-step cycle is applied to events where a One Health approach is needed. Participants will examine the ways that local observer networks and remote sensing capabilities (e.g., from satellites and weather stations) in the Arctic region could mutually benefit from deeper connectivity and integration with one another.

Facilitated discussion among participants addressing the ways that the Arctic example aligns with the broader GEO endeavor. Specifically, we will discuss:

the merits and limitations of the three-step cycle (observe, analyze, communicate);

the relevance of the three-step cycle to session participants’ daily work;

applicability of the three-step cycle in areas beyond the Arctic

*The results of this facilitated discussion could be captured in writing for further dissemination, as appropriate

Speakers: Speakers would be drawn from an interagency group that has focused on Arctic One Health under the U.S. chairmanship of the Arctic Council. The interagency group includes:

U.S. Department of State

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

U.S. Department of the Interior

Other participating entities may include experts and knowledge holders from the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, One Health practitioners, representatives of indigenous groups from Alaska, and representatives from other Arctic nations.

This Side Event is intended to bring together communicators from across GEO stakeholders to share experiences, ideas, and to form a network in support of our shared communications objectives. The guided discussion will focus on the following topics:

Shared communications objectives of the GEO community;

Communicating shared topics of interest, such as disaster risk reduction, the Paris Agreement, and the UN 2030 Agenda;

Collaborative campaigning and promotional opportunities;

Best practices and challenges for Earth observation impact capture and storytelling; and

Initiating a GEO communicators network.

Participant profile:

Communications professionals working on behalf of GEO Members and Participating Organizations.

Open Earth observations and open geospatial information are key in supporting and achieving the 2030 agenda for Global Food Security. This GODAN Think tank workshop aims to bring together all stakeholders from public institutions, private sector, and NGO's to discuss ideas and develop partnerships for expanding capacity building to support global food security with open geospatial data and open tools.

The AmeriGEOSS initiative is a framework that seeks to promote collaboration and coordination among the GEO members in the Americas. It regionalizes GEO’s global vision “to realize a future wherein decisions and actions, for the benefit of the region, are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information”. The Americas Caucus members (Argentina, Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the United States, and Uruguay; and observers Guatemala and Bolivia) have recognized the value of working together as one region under GEO to meet National and Regional objectives.

AmeriGEOSS focuses on the four Societal Benefit Areas (SBA’s) selected and prioritized by the Americas Caucus country-members: food security and sustainable agriculture, disaster resilience, water resources management, and biodiversity and ecosystem sustainability. Foundational activities, e.g. data infrastructure and capacity building, are also a focus.

This side event features three panels with experts who will discuss lessons learned in strengthening national, regional, and global engagement and the next steps for the AmeriGEOSS initiative.

15:30 – 16:10 Strengthening national GEO systems and engagement

Case Study 1: Colombia

Case Study 2: Costa Rica

Case Study 3: AmeriGEOSS Week as an incentive for engagement and capacity building

Discussion between panelists and participants about lessons learned, next steps

16:10 – 16:50 Strengthening regional engagement

GEONetCast-Americas as an incentive to strengthen GEO engagement

AmeriGEOSS Community Platform as a way to improve access, discoverability, and use of diverse regional and national data sets

Discussion between panelists and participants about lessons learned, next steps

The European GEO Caucus will hold its Caucus meeting and this will be followed by the launch the EuroGEOSS regional initiative on the occasion of the Plenary meeting in Washington. The initiative will be an application/service oriented framework initiative. The aim is to focus on delivering knowledge for the achievement of the United Nation's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other GEO engagement priorities in a European context. The side event will be the occasion to present EuroGEOSS. It will include the presentation of concrete European applications/services falling under the scope of EuroGEOSS. It will also be an opportunity to discuss collaboration with other Regional initiatives.

This session will demonstrate real world examples of successful application of the ArcGIS platform to translate open data to actionable information to support decision making and the goals of Group on Earth Observations This platform is employed around the world to support various societal benefit areas and the SDGs.

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Country Implementations and Experiences

Continental A

11:30-13:00

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Country Implementations and Experiences

Continental A

11:30-13:00

Continental A

11:30-13:00 Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Country Implementations and Experiences

Outcomes:

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is leading the Open Data Cube initiative to utilize an open source common computing framework for managing global satellite data. Four dedicated side meeting demonstrations were held at the GEO Plenary meeting on October 23-24. Over 100 international participants attended these sessions which addressed Data Cube development plans and progress, reviewed the progress of its implementation in Australia, Colombia, Switzerland and Uganda and conducted a hands-on training session. The CEOS and GEO communities are energized by the new initiative and believe it has a great potential to expand the use of global satellite data with a particular emphasis on non-traditional users in developing countries. In addition, the Data Cube takes advantage of powerful cloud computing platforms and enhances application products through open source community contributions. With a goal to reach operational Data Cubes in 20 countries by 2022, the Open Data Cube initiative will have significant global impact and provide critical information to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for societal benefit.

Group Photo of the Open Data Cube presenters at the GEO Plenary (Left to Right)

This session will demonstrate real world examples of successful application of the ArcGIS platform to translate open data to actionable information to support decision making and the goals of Group on Earth Observations This platform is employed around the world to support various societal benefit areas and the SDGs.

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Open Data Cube Applications and Hands-on Demonstration

Continental A

15:00-16:30

Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Open Data Cube Applications and Hands-on Demonstration

Continental A

15:00-16:30

Continental A

15:00-16:30 Open Data Cube: An Open Source Digital Earth Architecture for Sustainable Development - Open Data Cube Applications and Hands-on Demonstration

Outcomes:

The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites (CEOS) is leading the Open Data Cube initiative to utilize an open source common computing framework for managing global satellite data. Four dedicated side meeting demonstrations were held at the GEO Plenary meeting on October 23-24. Over 100 international participants attended these sessions which addressed Data Cube development plans and progress, reviewed the progress of its implementation in Australia, Colombia, Switzerland and Uganda and conducted a hands-on training session. The CEOS and GEO communities are energized by the new initiative and believe it has a great potential to expand the use of global satellite data with a particular emphasis on non-traditional users in developing countries. In addition, the Data Cube takes advantage of powerful cloud computing platforms and enhances application products through open source community contributions. With a goal to reach operational Data Cubes in 20 countries by 2022, the Open Data Cube initiative will have significant global impact and provide critical information to support the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) for societal benefit.

Group Photo of the Open Data Cube presenters at the GEO Plenary (Left to Right)

Side Events

Earth Observations in Support of SDG Implementation and Monitoring in Small Island States and Developing Countries

Meridian D/E

08:00-11:00

Earth Observations in Support of SDG Implementation and Monitoring in Small Island States and Developing Countries

Meridian D/E

08:00-11:00

Meridian D/E

08:00-11:00 Earth Observations in Support of SDG Implementation and Monitoring in Small Island States and Developing Countries

This event will serve as forum for a discussion between representatives of various Small Island States and developing countries (SIS DC), Participating Organizations (POs) and GEO activities that have an interest in supporting Earth Observation (EO)-related information needs in SIS DC that are associated with the 2030 Agenda. The event will provide an opportunity to pinpoint challenges for EO in these regions and to identify and form partnerships to address these challenges. A particular focus will be on the role of the ocean for the SDGs and the information needs related to the ocean.

During the event, GEO Blue Planet and other relevant GEO groups and POs will present ongoing and proposed projects related to monitoring in SIS DC to facilitate information sharing between the representatives of the SIS DC and the global community. Following the presentations, a panel with SIS DC representatives will discuss the presentations and provide feedback on how these projects could support the efforts to implement and monitor SDGs in the SIS DC. As appropriate, the panel will also give recommendations on developing new projects that would meet the needs of SIS DC.

GEO Blue Planet is proposing to assist with the planning and coordination for the event in close collaboration with other relevant GEO activities, Member States and POs.

Prior to the event, GEO Blue Planet will engage with stakeholders and host several conference calls to prepare the event. Upon completion of the event, a summary description of outcomes will be produced along with a list of potential partner organizations and contacts for the development of collaborative projects related to decision support for the SIS DC community.

Earth Observations in Service of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Hemisphere A

08:30-12:30

Earth Observations in Service of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

Hemisphere A

08:30-12:30

Hemisphere A

08:30-12:30 Earth Observations in Service of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development

The Earth Observations in Service of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Side Meeting will provide a platform for sharing experiences and lessons learned in terms of strengthening the means of implementation for sustainable development and achievement of the 2030 Agenda. The meeting will feature techniques for producing reliable, timely, and quality Earth observation and geospatial data and integrating these with national statistics and other data sources to track, monitor, and achieve progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Targets, and Indicators. The Side Meeting will provide real-world, evidence-based examples with a focus on four SDG thematic areas: Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation, Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, Goal 14: Life below Water, and Goal 15: Life on Land. Each example will provide the meeting attendees with perspectives on lessons learned in terms of SDG implementation, innovative actions, key policy standards, data and technology challenges, relevant information products and tools, governance mechanisms, and opportunities for cooperation and partnership.

The Side Meeting will kick off the development of four discussion papers around these real-world case studies, which will aim to:

Bring together UN custodian agencies, country representatives, international initiatives, development banks, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), as well as other GEO community activities, initiatives, and flagships to share experiences and help identify lessons learned in terms of SDG implementation;

Further develop these examples to help carve a roadmap that demonstrates what data is available, how data can be applied to achieving the SDGs, and the associated impacts on all levels of government, civil society, and other relevant stakeholders;

Produce capacity building material on the integration of statistical and geospatial information in relation to the four SDG thematic areas;

Help scale up these approaches to other countries;

Address cross-cutting issues including links to other global policy frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement for Climate Change, strengthening of institutional coordination, and localization of the SDGs.

Members of the Integrated Global Water Cycle Observations (IGWCO) Community of Practice.

Representatives from regional GEO Initiatives–including AfriGEOSS, AmeriGEOSS and Asia-Oceania GEOSS–who have familiarity or interest in water issues.

Participants from organizations not currently involved with GEO who have an interest in collaborating with us.

Managers of observational programmes that include the in-situ and satellite measurements of hydrological variables.

Topics to be Addressed (preliminary, subject to change)

Coordination opportunities among GEO water initiatives and activities and GEOGLOWS

Clarification of the Essential Water Variables (EWV) and their role in water management

Integration of data from multiple sources into reliable information products

Identifying actions needed to advance the GEOSS Water Strategy

Contributions to monitoring water-related SDGs

Support to other related initiatives, such as the Sustainable Water Future Programme and how those initiatives can support GEO’s objectives

Review of the needs for and potential contributions of IGWCO CoP during the next year or two, including a discussion on urban water systems.

Structure of the Event

The workshop will be divided into two sessions: a 5-hour session on October 23, followed by a 2-hour session on October 24.

The first day will start with a series of presentations from each of the key participating organizations. There will be opportunity for questions at the end of each presentation.

The second half of the first day will then break into groups using a World Café format to discuss specific topics chosen by the group.

On the second day of the workshop, the organizers will present a set of recommendations based on the results of the World Café discussions. All participants will have the opportunity to share their views and shape the recommendations that will form the results of the workshop.

There is increased interest and need to understand the benefits and impacts of Earth observation on society There was a very successful side event at this GEO plenary called “Demonstrating the Value of Earth Observations: Methods, Practical Applications and Solutions” organized by USGS, NOAA, ESA and EARSC. The side event included a mix of EO specialists and economists. It showed the increasing potential for engaging effectively in this area, particularly by speaking the language of Ministers of Finance and others who typically control government budgets. IEEE encourages a GEO initiative that would expand upon the framework outlined by the existing GEOValue community of practice by engaging a broad range of GEO members, Participating Organizations and Observers to increase understanding of societal impacts of GEO initiatives while also addressing issues that are being brought forward by national agencies. IEEE supports such an effort and encourages broad participation by Members, Participating Organizations and Observers in these activities. We would appreciate support of the GEO Secretariat to coordinate this international opportunity.

Description:

The use of Earth Observations (EOs) in decision making results in economic impacts to society that may be difficult to quantify. The goal of this workshop is to identify methods and solutions needed to develop robust and reliable estimates of the value of EOs in decision making to assess and prioritize investments in EO research, development, and operations.

A variety of current methods and approaches for assessing the value of EOs will be considered including broad benefits assessments conducted by surveys, case studies for specific applications, as well as studies that address cost-saving or innovation applications. A set of five example applications will be examined through derivation of value-chains, focusing on a broad range of risk mitigation issues. Workshop participants will address the effectiveness of value chains in understanding the benefits of EOs in decision making. Participants will also identify the types of information for representative applications needed to assess the economic impacts of EOs in decision making.

Workshop results will be documented in a summary strategic document describing the methods and use of value chains to quantify the societal benefits of EOs and to identify types of information that can be routinely collected to support enhanced and recurrent impact assessments. This will be a contribution to support the increasing interests of GEO in understanding the impacts of Earth observations and information.

The GEO Carbon and GHG Initiative (GEO-C) is developing a coordinated system of observations and evaluation of changes in the carbon cycle and greenhouse gas emissions. GEO-C builds on existing initiatives and networks, supports continuity and coherence, facilitates cooperation and interoperability and fills in gaps for a globally coordinated monitoring and analysis system for carbon and GHGs as they relate to human activities and climate change, in support of science and the UNFCCC.

The event will consist of two panel discussions. The frst will provide an overview of the GFOI partnership, examining how the components interact and the contributions of GFOI partners. The second panel will present a clear and practical example of how GFOI works through SilvaCarbon’s contributions to the Capacity Building component. The theme will be mapping, showcasing a specifc country’s progress. GFW will follow with the global view on producing and making deforestation data accessible to all users. Boston University will then provide an example of how to use tools to customize global data to national standards with suffcient accuracy to report.

Abstract: There has been significant progress in developing Earth Observation (EO) tools. However, progress is still needed for these tools to be used in practical ecosystem management. The EU-funded H2020 project “ECOPOTENTIAL” works to increase the capacity of protected area managers in Europe and beyond through research as well as developing practical software and training for park staff. Mountains provide essential ecosystem services, such as fresh water and biodiversity which is recognized explicitly in the SDGs. However, monitoring of mountain ecosystems poses particular challenges to EO due to factors like topography, lack of measurement stations and cloud cover, in particular for Remote Sensing from satellites. The event will focus on concrete examples and stories showcasing the results and added value of EO for achieving and monitoring the progress on mountain ecosystems-related SDGs.

The side event will feature best-practice examples from various projects in different mountain ranges, such as ECOPOTENTIAL and its work in protected mountain areas in Europe. The first part of the event will be a presentation of practical examples of EO use in two protected mountain areas in Europe: Sierra Nevada National Park in Spain and Kalkalpen National Park in Austria. The presentation will also focus on the importance of communities of practice, within the context of ongoing GEO initiatives like GEO-GNOME (the Global Network for Observations and Information on Mountain Environments, coordinated by CNR and MRI and GEO ECO (the Ecosystem Initiative), coordinated by CNR, to further EO based ecosystem management in mountain areas worldwide. This will also include building on the European GEO Workshop in Helsinki in June, 2017. The second part of the side-event will be a panel discussion with experts working on various mountain regions worldwide on the use of EO for mountain protection followed by questions from the audience. The side event is expected to make an important contribution to the further work within the GEO-GNOME and GEO-ECO initiatives and other GEO Activities.

Improving coordination of GEOSS In Situ observing systems and networks starts with an understanding of the structures we are trying to build on, from GEO Members and Participating Organizations. A survey of atmospheric, oceanic, and terrestrial observing networks was undertaken, including their scope, governance, and funding against a standard framework. It reveals a complex landscape or coordination efforts, with the greatest need for more unified coordination resources in the terrestrial domain.

The results and main findings of the survey will be reported, and lead to a discussion of common approaches and coordination needs, as well as steps towards a way of reporting to GEO in a common way on the status, opportunities and challenges faced by in situ observing systems and networks.

WMO regularly reviews and updates its Vision of future global observing systems to support weather, climate and related environmental applications. Currently, a “Vision for WIGOS in 2040” is in preparation, with the aim of submitting it for approval to the 18th World Meteorological Congress in 2019. The role of the WIGOS Vision is partly to help steer the development of both space-based and surface-based observing systems toward meeting the requirements of the WMO application area, and partly to inform the WMO Members themselves about anticipated developments in user requirements and technical developments.

The document will consist of three Chapters: An introductory providing scope, context and background for the Vision, followed by two chapters outlining the vision for the space-based component and the vision for the surface-based component, respectively.

While some parts of the GEO community have been involved in the initial drafting of the three chapters, a first draft of the entire document will be circulated more broadly within relevant parts of the GEO community during the first half of 2018. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness of this “Vision” and the upcoming opportunities to provide comments on it. The side event will include presentations from both providers and users of observations in order to illustrate the different roles such a document can play.

The main objective of AtlantOS is to transition from a loosely-coordinated set of existing ocean observing activities producing fragmented, often mono-disciplinary data, to a sustainable, efficient, and fit-for-purpose Integrated Atlantic Ocean Observing System (IAOOS). A key output in demonstrating these attributes and ensuring continued public and government support is the development of user-driven applications for industry, policy, regulation, and societal benefit. This side-event will demonstrate the value and societal benefit of an Atlantic Observing System through a number of pilot actions from AtlantOS. These user applications integrate data from the Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet, and AtlantOS to produce decision support tools for a variety of marine environmental and economic sectors, including HABs mapping, coastal hazards early warning, safe ship routing, oil spill hazards, MSFD reporting, and site selection for mariculture.

From Data to Decisions to Impact—New Practices in Capacity Building for Earth Observations

Meridian C

13:00-15:00

From Data to Decisions to Impact—New Practices in Capacity Building for Earth Observations

Meridian C

13:00-15:00

Meridian C

13:00-15:00 From Data to Decisions to Impact—New Practices in Capacity Building for Earth Observations

NASA and ITC both have active capacity building programs that use Earth Observations to enable improved outcomes and impacts in the developing world. Whereas some capacity building activities focus primarily on training, NASA and ITC are pioneering and testing new methods of project design that focus on development outcomes and impacts, as well as the steps required to accomplish this. For example, as part of the SERVIR program, NASA and USAID have developed a network of regional hubs around the world, and created a guidance document to help partners better design, deliver and implement sustainable services. ITC also has a unique position worldwide, as it has a mission and mandate from the Ministry in capacity building in Earth observation and Geoinformation. ITC has implemented long term collaborations in Africa and Asia primarily and acts as a broker between higher education fields, local governments and local industries. This side session will showcase these new capacity building practices and activities applied by NASA and ITC, and discuss how these very different organizations (a US government agency and an internationally -focused institute of higher education) are collaborating to share their knowledge and expertise.

The GEO Health Community of Practice is a global network of governments, organizations, and observers. It seeks to use environmental observations to improve health decision-making at the international, regional, country, and district levels. This meeting will bring together current members and interested individuals to collaborate towards better surveillance and timely interventions for public health issues using Earth observations. It will provide:

Overview of the "One Health" approach as the interface of human, animal and environmental health risks,

Emphasis on how Earth observation analysis can influence knowledge translation for a range of applications,

Presentation of case studies that support transdisciplinary collaborations and intersect with GEO Work Programme activities, and

Open dialogue to identify challenges and future steps toward enhanced integration of Earthobservations into science education, practice, and research

The growth of citizen science is a global phenomenon. In the United States, the scientific impacts of citizen science are recognized by 60 federal agencies and organizations, which coordinate and support hundreds of citizen science projects. In Europe, the European Commission continues to fund Citizen Observatories, beginning with the FP7 Programme and extending through active projects Ground Truth 2.0, LandSense, SCENT, and GROW. Similar initiatives are emerging in other parts of the world.

GEO can benefit from these initiatives if standards and best practices in managing (collection, representation, annotation, processing) crowd-sourced data are promoted. There is a need to explore the linkages of citizen data to the GEOSS and its common infrastructure (GCI), identify activities necessary for scaling up (examples are GBIF contributions, Mosquito Alert-UN...), and investigate methods and tools to integrate citizens-generated data with authoritative ones. This should be done in coordination with other GEO initiatives such as GEOBON. In this meeting, we will know more about existing citizen science projects and observatories and will discuss evolving standards and best practices for citizen-observed data management and ways to integrate citizen-acquired with established data sources. We will conclude by articulating next steps to advance the objectives of the GEO work programme listed here: http://www.earthobservations.org/activity.php?id=142.

Sustainable Development on our Human Planet: Earth Observations in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals

Hemisphere A

13:30-17:30

Sustainable Development on our Human Planet: Earth Observations in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals

Hemisphere A

13:30-17:30

Hemisphere A

13:30-17:30 Sustainable Development on our Human Planet: Earth Observations in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals

The international community is moving ahead rapidly with implementation of an overall framework for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and incorporating SDG data and indicators into development planning from local to global levels. GEO is playing a lead role in demonstrating the value of Earth observations in sustainable development decision making and in building capacity for EO use in national statistical offices (NSOs) and other stakeholders. A key area of development critical to the full range of SDGs is core data on human settlements, urbanization, infrastructure, and population. This side event will highlight recent progress made by two GEO initiatives, the Human Planet Initiative and the Earth Observations for the SDGs (EO4SDG) initiative, including outcomes of the Human Planet Forum to be held at the University of Twente in the Netherlands in September 2017 and the recent release of the Atlas of the Human Planet. The event will be divided into two half-day sections, with a mix of panel discussions and short presentations of success stories and work in progress from the GEO, NSO, multi-national organization, and development communities. Participation is expected from key organizations such as the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data, the UN Statistics Division, the UN Group of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN), the European Commission (EC), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Bank, as well as selected private sector organizations.

The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) is a thematic node of the Group on Earth Observations Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON).

This hands-on workshop will develop the capacity of resource managers, practitioners, and decision-managers to use information about marine biodiversity to address specific targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), such as SDG 14. The session explores a strategy to integrate observations about life, including biodiversity, into ocean observing systems for practical applications. A prototype data aggregation device (or tool) designed by MBON will be presented. The prototype tool adds value to existing data services by OBIS and remote sensing observations. A goal is to obtain feedback on further development of this product.

Feedbacks between upstream (terrestrial and freshwater) and downstream (marine) elements that impact biodiversity.

MBON is also the biodiversity arm of Blue Planet, intended to inform decisions that are relevant to conservation and the sustainable use of living marine resources. MBON has a formal collaboration with the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) to develop Essential Biodiversity Variables as part of Essential Ocean Variables, and with the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) regarding data management and publication. These partnerships help in defining strategies and standards for collaboration with a broader community of databases and users of biodiversity information.

The AfriGEOSS Initiative aims to improve the uptake of Earth Observations in decision-making in Africa. Its Action Areas include data and infrastructure for improved access to data; individual and institutional capacity development; addressing user needs and applications in areas such as water resource management, food security and agriculture, sustainable urban development and forest management, and climate services and adaptation. To achieve this goal, AfriGEOSS recognizes the need for strengthened intra-continental and international collaborations. The role of the Diaspora is deemed critical in ensuring sustained international partnerships.

The side event will raise awareness on the AfriGEOSS Initiative and explore the emerging synergy between existing programmes such as the Cube/Nano satellites, African Space Programme and the growth in national Space Programs, Geospatial Technology & Education in African countries. It will provide a much-needed forum for cross-collaboration among Researchers and Educators from Africa and partners in the Diaspora with particular focus on advancing uptake of EO through the AfriGEOSS initiative. The outcomes will outline potential areas of collaboration between African institutions and the Diaspora in realizing use of Earth observations in achieving the 2063 African Union agenda and the 2030 sustainable development agenda.

NASA Training: Satellite Observations of Water Quality for Sustainable Development Goal 6

Hemisphere B

16:30-19:30

NASA Training: Satellite Observations of Water Quality for Sustainable Development Goal 6

Hemisphere B

16:30-19:30

Hemisphere B

16:30-19:30 NASA Training: Satellite Observations of Water Quality for Sustainable Development Goal 6

NASA’s Applied Remote Sensing Training Program (ARSET) will provide a training session on NASA satellite observations to address UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to water quality, and specifically SDG 6. The training will include presentations and hands-on activities on access to freely available NASA data for monitoring harmful algal blooms, sediments, and other water properties. There will be a discussion on the relevancy of NASA resources for water quality and aquatic ecosystem management, and on methods for combining satellite and in situ water quality data. The session will end with a group discussion on future satellite training needs for SDG Indicator 6.3.2.

Who Should Attend?

All are welcome. Previous experience with satellite data is not needed. The session is intended for both beginners and advanced users of satellite observations. Please bring your laptop computer so you can participate in the hands-on activities.

A Panel discussion with city-and country-level policy makers will examine the current use of data to inform public policy. The discussion outcome will inform and advance GEO Members’ approach to engage with the public sector to further support efforts promoting sustainable development and building resilient communities.

Moderator: John Firth, CEO, Acclimatise, UK

Speakers:

Ann Bartuska is Vice President for Land, Water, and Nature in the organization Resources for the Future (RFF). She was previously Deputy Under Secretary for Research, Education and Economics within the United States Department of Agriculture.

Frances Blair is a Senior Manager at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in Jamaica.

Carlos Felipe Prada Lombo is an economist with the Department of National Statistics in Colombia. He holds the degree of Master in Economics from Universidad Javeriana.

Eli Yewdall is Senior Programme Officer with the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), based in the United States. His focus is on developing resources to help local governments measure, manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

A Panel discussion with commercial sector decision makers will explore current uses of Earth observations by commercial companies to assess and manage risks, thereby optimizing their investments. Discussion outcomes will inform how GEO will best engage with business communities to promote and advance utilization of Earth observation data.

Moderator: John Firth, CEO, Acclimatise, UK

Speakers:

Jack Dangermond is President of Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri). A landscape architect by training, he founded Esri in 1969 with a vision that computer mapping and analysis could help us design a better future.

Jon Davis is Chief Meteorologist with Riskpulse/Earthrisk. Based in Chicago, USA, Jon Davis brings over 30 years of experience and is widely considered one of the foremost experts on the impact of weather and climate on global commodities.

FranklinNutter is President of the Reinsurance Association of America. Mr. Nutter currently serves on the Advisory Board of the OECD’s International Network for the Financial Management of Large Scale Disasters, the RAND Center on Catastrophic Risk Management and Compensation, and the Carl H. Lindner III Center for Insurance and Risk Management Board of Directors.

KenjiWakamatsu is Director of NTT DATA’s Earth observation business, based in Tokyo, Japan. He has participated in numerous projects related not only to remote sensing but also to GIS and sensor networks, using these tools for disaster management, asset management and more.

Brad Wooldridge is a farmer from Western Australia. In 2000, he began using Landgate’s satellite remote sensing to measure pasture growth and production, and developed their own systems analysis with management and benchmarking of productivity through analysis of remote sensing imagery data.

[15:30 - 16:00 coffee break]

Organizers

Group on Earthobservations (GEO)

16:00-17:30

GEO-XIV - Session 4: Earth Observations in International Development *

Atrium Hall

16:00-17:30

GEO-XIV - Session 4: Earth Observations in International Development *

A Panel of representatives from national and international funding and development agencies will discuss their role and interest in increasing the world’s Earth observation capacity, and how this is incorporated in their own policies and programmes.

HaishanFu is Director of Development Data Group, World Bank. She oversees the World Bank’s global development monitoring and open data initiative, surveys and other technical advisory services, and global statistical programs such as the International Comparison Program.

Ryosuke Nakata is Chief Representative of the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) USA Office. He assumed this position in October 2016, and also previously served as a Senior Representative of the JICA USA Office from 2006 until 2010.

Carrie Stokes is Chief Geographer and Geocentre Director with the US Global Development Lab in the United States Agency for International Development. She has used mapping and satellite imagery to help the government decide more effectively where and how to provide aid and humanitarian assistance.

Organizers

Group on Earthobservations (GEO)

19:00-22:00

GEO Plenary reception *

Smithsonian NMNH

19:00-22:00

GEO Plenary reception *

Smithsonian NMNH

19:00-22:00

Smithsonian NMNH

19:00-22:00 GEO Plenary reception *

No detailed information available.

Thursday 26 October 2017

Official Events

09:00-12:30

GEO-XIV - Session 5: 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme *

Atrium Hall

09:00-12:30

GEO-XIV - Session 5: 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme *

Atrium Hall

09:00-12:30

Atrium Hall

09:00-12:30 GEO-XIV - Session 5: 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme *

5.1 Spotlight on Emerging Successes

5.2 GEO Programme Board Report

5.3 GEO Highlights 2016-2017

5.4 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme Update

5.5 Presentation of the Proposed 2018 GEO Trust Fund Budget

5.6 Strategy for a Sustained Resourcing of the GEO Trust Fund

[10:30 - 11:00 coffee break]

5.7 Discussion and Pledges:

GEO 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme

GEO Trust Fund

5.8 Approval of 2017-2019 GEO Work Programme Update

5.9 Approval of 2018 GEO Trust Fund Budget

5.10 Approval of Slate of 2018 GEO Programme Board

[12:30 - 14:00 lunch break]

Organizers

Group on Earth Observations (GEO)

10:00-16:00

Exhibition

Atrium

10:00-16:00

Exhibition

Atrium

10:00-16:00

Atrium

10:00-16:00 Exhibition

No detailed information available.

14:00-15:30

GEO-XIV - Session 6: National Earth Observations *

Atrium Hall

14:00-15:30

GEO-XIV - Session 6: National Earth Observations *

Atrium Hall

14:00-15:30

Atrium Hall

14:00-15:30 GEO-XIV - Session 6: National Earth Observations *

Panel of representatives from developed and developing GEO Member States will discuss the value and best practices in developing and assessing national Earth observation portfolios.

Moderator: Philip Thigo, Advisor on Data and Innovation at the Office of the Deputy President, Kenya

Speakers:

Xingfa Gu is the Executive Acting Director of Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth in the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Iain Williams is the Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in the United Kingdom.

Tim Newman is the Program Coordinator for the United States Geological Survey's Land Remote Sensing Program, which operates the Landsat satellites and provides the portal to one of the largest archives of remotely sensed land data in the world.

Pham Anh Tuan is the Director General of Vietnam National Space Center (VNSC) of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST), Hanoi, Vietnam.

Side Event: The European Environmental Research Infrastructure Community as sustainable in-situ contribution to EuroGEOSS - recorded

The European Environmental Research Infrastructure (ENVRI) community wishes to send a strong signal to the Earth Observation community, that it is committed to contributing to the challenges laid down in the most recent GEO workplan. There are already established considerable contributions from ENVRI to many GEO Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities, and it is important to acknowledge and build on that.

The aim is to create a clear awareness on the matching between the European “supply” of data, information and knowledge to the in situ component of GEOSS through ENVRI, and GEO’s “demand” of knowledge for its Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities. The ENVRI community wishes to acknowledge and underline the importance for Europe to play its role in supplying the necessary data and information. This will allow for GEO to satisfy the demand for these products, and to achieve its mission as stated in the Mexico City Ministerial Summit Declaration during the GEO XII Plenary in 2015 and in the most recent work programme.

Delegates

GEO-XIV Plenary at GEO Week 2017

The Plenary is GEO's highest decision-making body. It is at the GEO Plenary that important decisions will be made about the future of GEO and the implementation of its Work Programme. The Plenary is composed of Principals at the senior-official level or their Alternates, representing GEO Members and Participating Organizations.

GEO XIV Plenary will update delegates on developments in Earth observation services that impact both public sector decision making and the commercial sector. It will highlight the progress and projects in GEO's priority work in the service of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The Plenary offers GEO Members and Participating Organizations the opportunity for high level engagement on issues facing the global Earth observation community, the chance to connect with counterparts and stakeholders from diverse sectors and geographies, and to contribute to decision-making that will shape the future of GEO.

As part of GEO Week 2017, Plenary delegates are invited to participate in a range of highly-relevant side events and the GEO Week Exhibition, which will highlight and promote the role, applications and opportunities to use Earth observations to the benefit of humankind. Delegates can also participate in a variety of exclusive tours to key U.S. Earth observation hubs around Washington D.C., including NASA, NOAA, and USAID.

Wednesday 25 October 2017

Thursday 26 October 2017

Delegate Tours - Register by 22 September

GEO Week 2017 delegates are invited by the United States on the following tours on Friday, 27 October 2017. Registration for the tours for foreign delegates is required by 22 September 2017.

NASA: Goddard Space Flight Center and STEM Innovation Lab

Greenbelt, Maryland

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, plays a pivotal role across all aspects of the agency’s missions, from development to de-orbit. More than 50 Goddard spacecraft explore Earth and soar through the solar system, collecting observations to be parsed and studied by scientists around the world.

Goddard’s missions support multiple scientific disciplines, including Earth science, solar science and the sun-Earth environment, planetary studies and astrophysics. Goddard is the operational home of the venerable Hubble Space Telescope.

Goddard studies the tenuous atmosphere of Mars with MAVEN and the Red Planet’s surface with instruments aboard the Curiosity rover. Goddard surveys the moon with LRO and watches our sun with the Solar Dynamics Observatory. GPM, Landsat and a host of other satellites monitor Earth and our changing climate.

Tour duration: 1.5 hours (estimated)

Tour slots available: 30

Tour time: morning

Transportation: bus transportation will be provided

NOAA: National Ice Center and National Satellite Operations Facility

Suitland, Maryland

Credit: NOAA.

The National Ice Center is a Navy, NOAA and United States Coast Guard organization that provides global to tactical scale ice and snow products, ice forecasting, and other environmental intelligence services for the United States government.

The National Satellite Operations Facility is the home of NOAA’s around-the-clock environmental operations, providing data critical for weather and climate prediction. The NOAA Satellite Operations Facility is a first-class center, with first-class technology and operations that supply essential satellite data to forecasters in order to produce the most accurate projections possible.

Tour duration: 1.5 hours (estimated)

Tour slots available: 30

Tour time: morning

Transportation: bus transportation will be provided

USAID: U.S Global Development Lab GEOCENTER, USAID

Ronald Reagan Building, Washington DC

The GEOCENTER is as a direct result of the United States participation in GEO. Their mission is to provide geographical analysis for developing programs. The mission of the center is implement USAID’s role working to end extreme poverty, through the promotion of resilient, democratic societies by advancing security and prosperity, and how they incorporate satellite data to work on development challenges.

Tour duration: 30 minutes

Tour slots available: 10 per tour time

Tour time: every half hour from 10:00am to 2:00pm

Transportation: on-site

Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center

Arlington, Virginia

Your visit will include an overview presentation on the past, present, and future of the Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in the VectorStar Theater, a guided tour of the 4,500-square-foot visitor center/demonstration facility, and ample time to operate our hands-on simulators, demonstrators, and other exhibits. A highlight of the tour will be the GOES-R series spacecraft, which is now on orbit as the United States' next generation geostationary environmental satellite, GOES-16. Your group will also enjoy refreshments and a unique space ed-venture in our SciFi Lounge.Tour duration: 1 hour

Tour slots available: 20

Tour time: morning

Transportation: Metro (Crystal City station)

U.S. Naval Observatory

Washington, DC

The United States Naval Observatory (USNO) provides a wide range of astronomical data and products, and serves as the official source of time for the U.S. Department of Defense and a standard of time for the entire United States. The tour will include a presentation of USNO's timekeeping responsibilities, the history of precision timekeeping, the USNO Master Clock, Network Time Protocol (NTP) servers, web-based time synchronization, GPS timing products and services, two-way satellite time transfer, and the James M. Gilliss Library, which holds one of the most complete collections of astronomical literature in the world.Tour duration: 2 hours

Tour slots available: 25

Tour time: 10:00am

Transportation: taxi cab or Uber

Registration: If you are interested in attending one of the tours, you must provide the following information by 22 September to Wade Price at wade.price@noaa.gov:

Name

Organization

City, Country

Which tour you are interested in

Space is limited, so we ask you to express your interest as early as possible. Late submissions will not be accepted.

The European Environmental Research Infrastructure (ENVRI) community wishes to send a strong signal to the Earth Observation community, that it is committed to contributing to the challenges laid down in the most recent GEO workplan. There are already established considerable contributions from ENVRI to many GEO Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities, and it is important to acknowledge and build on that.

The aim is to create a clear awareness on the matching between the European “supply” of data, information and knowledge to the in situ component of GEOSS through ENVRI, and GEO’s “demand” of knowledge for its Flagships, Initiatives and Community Activities. The ENVRI community wishes to acknowledge and underline the importance for Europe to play its role in supplying the necessary data and information. This will allow for GEO to satisfy the demand for these products, and to achieve its mission as stated in the Mexico City Ministerial Summit Declaration during the GEO XII Plenary in 2015 and in the most recent work programme.

Tuesday 24 October 2017

no information found...

Wednesday 25 October 2017

no information found...

Thursday 26 October 2017

no information found...

Press

Media contact: Maddie West (mwest@geosec.org)

Why cover GEO Week?

From flooding to earthquakes, today more than ever before we are witnessing the devastating impact that natural disasters and environmental degradation can have on society, and increasingly recognizing the importance of informed decision making to mitigate risks and respond to crises.

A wide range of experts from the public and private sector will convene for GEO Week 2017 to showcase and discuss how Earth observations can contribute to solving humanity’s most pressing environmental and societal challenges.

Don’t miss this opportunity to speak with leading voices on how countries, organizations and businesses from around the world are using Earth observations, innovative solutions, and a shared commitment to open data to tackle wide-ranging issues, from disaster risk to food security and beyond.

What topics will be explored?

Check out the GEO Week schedule for a full list of topics covered during the many GEO Week Side Events and panels. Highlighted topics include:

Disaster Risk Reduction

The Sustainable Development Goals

Food security

Public health

Ocean monitoring

Best practices in data sharing and management

Who’s attending?

Press access

Members of the press are welcome to register for any open Side Event during GEO Week, and to attend the Exhibition. Press passes will be issued to Side Event registrants who identify themselves as press in the registration form.